News & Commentary
Ending Indefinite Solitary Confinement for the Vast Majority of People with Death Sentences in Oklahoma
By Travis Handler
Latest Event
Voices Uncaged: Hispanic Heritage Art and Activism
This event is in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month with the purpose of bringing together artists, organizers, and community members to explore the powerful intersection of art and activism. We aim to uplift the voices, experiences, and resilience of immigrant communities – particularly those impacted by detention, deportation, and harmful immigration policies.
The event will take place at a local art gallery in the Paseo Art district of OKC near Flora Bodega, a community hub. Attendees can come-and-go anytime from 6-9pm on Friday, September 4 during the Paseo District's First Friday gallery walk.
For my grandmother: A receipt
An essay about poverty, hunger and Oklahoma City's anti-panhandling ordinance
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Legislature Should Stop Trying To Undermine Supreme Court Ruling, ACLU's Kiesel Says
OKLA
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Legislature Should Move To Expand Medicaid, ACLU OK Executive Director Says
One way to do that, he said, was to expand Medicaid coverage. Kiesel pointed to a 2013 ACLU study that called on states to expand Medicaid coverage as a way to make communities safer. In the study, entitled Healthcare Not Handcuffs, the ACLU called for Medicaid expansion under the federal Affordable Care Act.
“By dramatically expanding and funding healthcare coverage to millions of currently uninsured people, the ACA represents a remarkable opportunity for criminal justice and drug policy reform advocates to advance efforts for policies promoting safe and healthy communities, without excessive reliance on the criminal justice solutions that have become so prevalent under the War on Drugs,” the study said.
According to the study, the expansion of the federal Medicaid programs represents an opportunity to “recast substance use disorders and drug use as a matter for public health rather than criminal justice.”
“This could be a huge tool to help fight crime and combat drug-related crimes,” Kiesel said.
He said a dramatic expansion of healthcare coverage would allow Oklahomans struggling with drug use to obtain community-based care and treatment, instead of incarceration.
Kiesel said state officials could harness the power of the ACA as low-cost and effective alternative to incarceration for defendants with substance use or mental health disorders.
A report, released by the Tulsa-based Oklahoma Policy I
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ACLU OK 'Disappointed' By Council Action, Will Monitor Enforcement of Ordinance
ACLU Oklahoma Executive Director Ryan Kiesel said his organization would continue to oppose the ordinance and was in the process of evaluating their next steps.
“All options are on the table right now,” Kiesel said. “We will be monitoring closely how the ordinance is implemented and enforced. We have serious concerns that the city of Oklahoma City can enforce this ordinance and still comply with the 1st and 14th Amendments of the United States Constitution.”
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